Detox Blender Soup

As a holistic nutritionist, it's only natural that I adore all things green; be it a green smoothie, green juice, greens+ powder, green beauty, matcha, kale and even green soup!

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and the over indulgences that tend to occur, I felt a Detox Blender Soup would be just the thing to help you bounce back joyously from your green celebrations! I know it's a bit early since St. Patty's Day is still a week away but it's always good to have these tips and healthy recipes in your joyous health tool kit before you dive into all of the fun. 

Knowing that a lot of people tend to go a little bit overboard on the fun on this day, I joined nutrition forces with Abbey Sharp of Abbey's Kitchen to bring you two delicious, detoxifying green recipes. Here's my recipe for a Detox Blender Soup.

While I whipped up the post-St. Patty's Detox Blender Soup, Abbey pulled together the most AMAZING avocado fries! OMG, they were so crispy and yummy. I can't wait to make them for Vienna and Walker. They can be enjoyed on St. Patty's Day in place of the typical pub fare or the day after when you're not exactly ready to slurp back your green smoothie yet. Really though, both of these recipes can be enjoyed year-round and make a great addition to your Joyous Detox lifestyle!

The best part about this Detox Blender Soup is that it's SO simple! You literally just have to throw all of these ingredients in a blender and then slurp away. It's been many years since I had a hangover (thank gawd) but I do recall that cooking anything was just about the last thing I wanted to do, so I made sure to keep that in mind when developing this recipe :) 

The reason why this Detox Blender Soup makes such a great post-hangover option versus McDonald's or gatorade is because it's packed with so many naturally detoxifying and hydrating foods!

This is key after a night of over indulgences since alcohol puts a lot of stress on our liver, depletes our B-vitamin stores and dehydrates our joyous bodies! The ingredients in this soup do the complete opposite. Take for example:

By now, we know of kale for all of it's amazing superfood properties, but what doesn't get highlighted as much is the fact that it's a cruciferous vegetable, meaning it has a high sulphur content. Sulphur is an essential nutrient for our liver to detoxify harmful substances (including alcohol), alongside B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron and milk thistle. If you're interested in learning more about this, I talk all about Phase 1 and Phase 2 liver detoxification in Joyous Detox Online.

Spinach is packed with glutathione which is known as the master antioxidant of the body. We need antioxidants to neutralize any free radicals that are produced as a result of consuming alcohol or exposing ourselves to toxic substances. These antioxidants work by protecting our cells by absorbing or attaching to the free radical and preventing them from attacking normal tissues. Most foods lose their glutathione once cooked. Spinach on the other hand, maintains a bit of it's nutrient density in that way but the great thing with this Detox Blender Soup is that we're actually not cooking it so it can maintain all of it's nutritious value!

We've gotten so used to parsley as a garnish on our food that sometimes it's nutritious value gets overlooked. But parsley is amazing for so many reasons! It's a natural diuretic, meaning it will help to flush the body of excess toxins. It also contains chlorophyll which helps to alkalize the body and purify the blood. Can you imagine a more nourishing food to have after a night of fun?! If you're not big on parsley, you can easily swap this for cilantro, basil or mint. The healing properties of each will vary but it will still offer loads of nutrition to help you bounce back from feeling so groggy.

Alcohol can have a lot of taxing effects on the body, but the one it's most well known for is its dehydrating effects - cue headache. Sea Salt is key in this case to help rebalance fluids and hydrate the body again. When we consume sea salt, it helps to rebalance our sodium-potassium ratios. Both these nutreints work together as electrolytes to help rehydrate the body again on a cellular level.

Garlic is also packed with detox-supporting sulphur compounds! Alongside being a liver-lover, garlic comes with an array of nutrients such as B1 and B6 (if you can recall, B vitamins are depleted with the consumption of alcohol), vitamin C, selenium, phosphorus and calcium. I list more nutritious facts about garlic on pg. 32 in my book, Joyous Detox.

By now, I'm sure you're well aware of how much I love lemons! I have it freshly squeezed in water, in my body scrubs and now in my Detox Blender Soup too!

It's fresh, bright, uplifting and packed with liver-loving benefits.

It actually helps to encourage the formation of bile which carries toxins away from the liver. That, and lemon tastes delicious in just about everything! The proof is in my No-Bake Carrot Cake Squares with Lemon Icing on pg. 256 of Joyous Detox :)

That's just a few of the many nutritional benefits my Detox Blender Soup has to offer, but I'm sure you just want to get down to business and start slurping away right?

I won't tell you what time in the video to go to if you want to witness Abbey and I break out into our hilarious blender dance. You'll just have to watch the whole thing :)

Don't forget to hop on over to Abbey's blog to try her Avocado Fries and her other amazing nutritious recipes! 

And if you still need a helping hand to bounce back from your night of fun, you can read up on my best natural solutions to cure hangovers!

Happy St. Patty's Day, everyone!

Joy